José Reyes RSS feedhttps://www.fourfourtwo.com/jose-reyes
enRanked! Arsenal's 10 worst signings of the Premier League eraFrom misfiring strikers to hapless centre-backs: Jon Spurling on the transfers that Arsenal fans would really rather forgetJon Spurlinghttps://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-arsenals-10-worst-signings-premier-league-era
10. John JensenIf Arsenal fans needed evidence of where the club was headed as the Premier League era dawned in the summer of 1992, it came with the signing of the curly-haired defensive midfielderwho’d just won the European Championship with Denmark. His thunderous goal in the final against Germany was hardly a portent of things to come at Highbury.A solitary strike – a magnificent curled effort against QPR on New Year’s Eve 1994 – spawned a T-shirt with the slogan: ‘I was there when Jensen scored’. His unspectacular (although solid) displays contrasted poorly with those of fans’ favourite and Highbury cult hero David Rocastle, who departed to Leeds shortly before Jensen arrived at Highbury. Perhaps JJ was doomed to fail from the start.0:09 in9. Jose Antonio ReyesAfter joining Arsenal for a whopping £10.5m from Sevilla in January 2004, the 20-year-old Spaniard made an instant impact at Highbury, dispatching two crackers against Chelsea as Arsenal defeated their newly moneyed rivals in a February FA Cup clash.Yet in October 2004, on the day that the Gunners lost their 49-match unbeaten record, Manchester United (and Gary Neville in particular) physically destroyed him. From that point onwards, Reyes wilted in the red and white, and in February 2005 was caught in a radio stingadmitting that he longed to move back to Spain. In 2006he got his way, joining Real Madrid on loan with his early promise at Highbury unfulfilled.8. GervinhoDespite promises of big-name signings in the 2011 close season, Arsenal fans were underwhelmed with the arrival of the £10.5m Lille forward. After early encouragement, the Ivory Coast forward dawdled far too often when he broke into the opposition box, his shooting was often wayward, and he frequently lost possession.Following a bright start to the 2012/13 campaign, Gervinho quickly found himself at the rough end of the Emirates crowd’s frustration. He drifted out of the first-team picture, then departed to Roma after a lacklustre two-year spell in north London.7. Park Chu-youngIf the summer 2011 transfer window hadn't already been depressing enough for Arsenal fans– Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri became the latest three first-teamers to jump ship– then their team's late-window arrivals were enough to tip Gunners over the edge. And while Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta were both reasonable additions, Andre Santos and South Korean strikerPark Chu-young were anything but.Park,in particular, was a head-scratcher. He was 26 and hardly bragged a prolific record with Monaco in Ligue 1, plus he wasn't even a national team regular. Sure enough, such an underwhelming reputation was backed up at the Emirates: seven appearances in all, only one Premier League appearance– against Manchester United– and one goal in the League Cup against Bolton to show for it. With such low expectations, you couldn't even call him a disappointment.6. Marouane ChamakhIn his early months during the 2010/11 season at Arsenal, the Moroccan free signing from Bordeaux looked a decent striker, plundering goals with regularity in both the Premier League and Champions League. Yet by the end of the calendar year, Chamakh admitted he’d “completely lost my edge”. Despite his snood, he began to labour dreadfully, and appeared only sporadically for the Gunners– mainly as a substitute.Chamakh played a memorable cameo role in October 2012, netting a brace as a substitute in Arsenal’s incredible 7-5 League Cup victory against Reading. Yet the striker was held up by unforgiving Arsenal supporters as evidence of how the club was trying – and failing – to win things on the cheap.5. Kim KallstromIn mitigation, the Swedish midfielder was once a fine footballer, winning 131 caps with Sweden and having garnered multiple honours with Lyon. Yet his brief loan spell with Arsenal in the early months of 2014 was a farce from the very start. After sustaining a back injury with parent club Spartak Moscowand failing his medical, it was decided that Kallstrom would complete his rehabilitation at Arsenal.This shortened his Gunners career to just four appearances, although he did coolly dispatch a spot-kick in the FA Cup semi-final penalty shootout against Wigan. He later described his cameo role as: “the best 15 minutes of my life.”4. Francis JeffersThere was much excitement in N5 when Arsenal signed the free-scoring Evertonian in the 2001 close season, with Arsene Wenger quickly labelling him the “fox in the box” that the club needed. Sadly for all concerned, injuries, question marks over his attitude in training, competition from the likes of Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord, plus a dramatic loss of confidence meant that Jeffers was merely a bit-part player as Arsenal won the Double in 2002 and FA Cup in 2003.There were occasional glimpses of magic on FA Cup runs (including a brace against Farnborough in early 2003), but after being red carded in the 2003 Community Shield clash with Manchester United, he was loaned back to former club Everton.3. Kaba DiawaraGiven that he cost a relative pittance (£2.5m), it seems harsh to include the Frenchman on this list. But with Arsene Wenger hyping the 24-year-old as being every inch as exciting as Nicolas Anelka when he arrived at Highbury in January 1999, Diawara’s subsequent failure to find the net during his brief Arsenal stay was particularly galling.Particularly so as Manchester United edged past Wenger’s men both in the Premier League and the FA Cup on their way to the Treble. Diawara hit the woodwork several times during those months, most notably in the crucial end-of-season game against Leeds United which Arsenal lost 1-0. Had he converted his chances at Elland Road, Arsenal would have retained the title. He didn’t. They didn't.2. Sebastien SquillaciSquillaci threatened to go on strike at Sevilla if he failed to secure a transfer to Arsenal, but Gunners were left wishing he hadn't got his way. The French central defender never looked comfortable at the Emirates, partly due to the fact that both he and fellow new boy Laurent Koscielny were adapting to the pace of English football, but also because the former just wasn’t very good.The nadir arrived in early 2012when, during a league game against Fulham, his 92nd-minute clearing header fell to Bobby Zamora, who volleyed home to give the Cottagers all three points. A few weeks later, as Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup to Sunderland, substitute Squillaci was benched after deflecting Kieran Richardson’s 40th-minute effort into his own net. After three seasons in north London he was eventually farmed out to French outfit Bastia.In a nutshell...1. Glenn HelderOutgoing Arsenal manager George Graham shelled out a (then) hefty £2.3m on the Vitesse Arnhem winger in February 1995. It was a bizarre decision by a manager whose sacking was announced on the day that Helder made his debut against Nottingham Forest, and by the board who sanctioned the move while knowing that Graham was effectively already a goner.Helder possessed a blistering turn of pace, but his crossing was frequently woefuland one goal was a dismal returnfor his Gunners career (netted against Middlesbrough a year after he joined). After 18 months of general ineptitude and dressing room boasting about his inflated salary, the Dutchman with the Lionel Richie hairdo was loaned to Benfica.Oddly, for a player who was anything but an Arsenal legend, he popped up in an Arsenal Legends XI in countryman Dennis Bergkamp’s 2006 testimonial. Always was a nice guy, Dennis.New features you'd love on FourFourTwo.comfeatureMon, 16 Apr 2018 13:58:30 +0000Alex Reid100020473 at https://www.fourfourtwo.com10 player homecomings that lived up to the hypeAs Tim Cahill prepares to rejoin Millwall, we pick out 10 other stars for whom the second time was a charmhttps://www.fourfourtwo.com/gallery/10-player-homecomings-lived-hype
slideshowWed, 31 Jan 2018 09:51:54 +0000Greg Lea810483 at https://www.fourfourtwo.comRevealed! The Premier League's 20 most expensive January signingsThe start of the year is a time for reinforcements as well as resolutions - but new players don't always come cheap in the mid-season window...https://www.fourfourtwo.com/gallery/revealed-premier-leagues-20-most-expensive-january-signings
slideshowThu, 04 Jan 2018 16:10:41 +0000Greg Lea801290 at https://www.fourfourtwo.comWhere are they now? Arsenal's Invincibles of 2003/04We revisit the Gunners team which went unbeaten throughout an entire Premier League season and reveal where they can all be found today…https://www.fourfourtwo.com/gallery/where-are-they-now-arsenals-invincibles-200304
slideshowTue, 28 Nov 2017 10:49:19 +0000Greg Lea788614 at https://www.fourfourtwo.comEmery lends backing to Rico for Champions League bowSergio Rico will start in goal for Sevilla against Borussia Monchengladbach, with both teams aiming to put poor domestic form aside.https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/emery-lends-backing-rico-champions-league-bow
Sevilla coach Unai Emery is confident goalkeeper Sergio Rico will rise to the occasion of his Champions League debut against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The 22-year-old played 37 times in all competitions last season but began this term as understudy to Portuguese Beto.
Rico will nevertheless be thrust into action for the Group D opener against the Bundesliga outfit after Beto sustained a knee injury in last Friday's draw with Levante, ruling him out for six weeks.
"Sergio Rico is ready to play," Emery said. "He matured last year in important matches and this type of match will help him. We trust on Sergio."
Sevilla qualified for the Champions League by virtue of continuing their dominance of the Europa League last term, securing their second consecutive triumph in Europe's second-tier club competition and a fourth in the past 10 years.
Emery is now keen for his players to make an impression on the biggest stage and believes a vocal home crowd at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan can play their part.
"We return to the Champions League with the ambition to play it many years. All the club want to grow in this competition," he said.
"Sanchez Pizjuan is our temple, our matches here are more than just football."
Jose Antonio Reyes will captain the hosts on Tuesday, a moment the experienced forward is relishing having started his career with Sevilla.
"Playing in the Champions League with Sevilla is one of the dreams of my life and tomorrow this day will come," said Reyes, who returned to Sevilla in 2012 having represented Arsenal, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Benfica.
"I'm proud of be Sevilla's captain. We don't play this competition every day so we must enjoy it, but obviously we want to win."
Sevilla are winless in three La Liga matches so far this season, drawing two, while Monchengladbach have started dismally in the Bundesliga, losing all four games to date.
Reyes does not expect these struggles to be factor when the teams come face to face.
"The Champions League isn’t related with our bad matches in La Liga," he added. "We respect Borussia. Our team is confident and strong."
news_articleMon, 14 Sep 2015 13:56:55 +0000Anonymous454181 at https://www.fourfourtwo.comBarcelona 5 Sevilla 4 (aet): Wantaway Pedro settles thrilling Super CupPedro may want to leave Barcelona, but he popped up with an extra-time winner to settle a breathtaking UEFA Super Cup clash with Sevilla.https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/barcelona-5-sevilla-4-aet-wantaway-pedro-settles-thrilling-super-cup
Wantaway forward Pedro proved the hero as his extra-time goal secured the UEFA Super Cup for Barcelona with an enthralling 5-4 victory over Sevilla in Tblisi.
It was confirmed by sporting director Robert Fernandez earlier on Tuesday that Pedro, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, has told Barca that he wants to leave.
And in what could be his final appearance for the club, the Spain international came off the bench and turned home the rebound from Lionel Messi's shot in the 115th-minute to seal a dramatic win after Barca had surrendered a 4-1 lead.
A pair of sensational Messi free-kicks in the first half cancelled out a similarly superb effort from Ever Banega to put Barca 2-1 up, before Rafinha added a third on the stroke of half-time.
Treble winners Barca were in cruise control when Luis Suarez got on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute, but they were left reeling as Jose Antonio Reyes' strike and Kevin Gameiro's penalty brought Sevilla back into it, before Ciro Immobile set up fellow close-season signing Yevhen Konoplyanka for a scarcely believable equaliser.
Unai Emery's Sevilla were cruelly denied, though, as Pedro earned Barca the first of what could be six trophies this season.
Underdogs Sevilla made a great start when Banega curled a superb 25-yard free-kick into the top left-hand corner in the third minute.
Messi would not be outshone by his Argentina team-mate, though, and he levelled with a free-kick of his own - a wonderful dinked effort that left Beto no chance.
The fast pace continued in the 15th minute as Messi outdid himself with another stunning free-kick, this time bending a 30-yard effort from the centre of goal into Beto’s right-hand corner.
Suarez had a goal ruled out for offside, but the lead was two at the break as the Uruguayan squared brilliantly for Rafinha to stab home.
Barca extended their lead seven minutes after the break. Benoit Tremoulinas' sloppy pass was picked off by Sergio Busquets and he in turn rolled a pass to Suarez, who swept home a first-time shot.
But Sevilla started an unlikely comeback in the 57th minute when Reyes side-footed home Vitolo's cross from the left.
Rafinha saw a header rebound off the crossbar for Barca, before there was another twist when Jeremy Mathieu tugged Vitolo to ground prompting referee Willie Collum to point to the spot.
Gameiro confidently dispatched the spot-kick low into the left-hand corner, and amazingly Sevilla were level in the 81st minute when Immobile's low centre from the right was tapped home by fellow new boy Konoplyanka.
That brought extra-time and the match was seemingly heading for penalties until drama unfolded five minutes from time.
Messi saw another goalbound free-kick blocked by the wall, before his driven shot from the rebound was saved by Beto. However, substitute Pedro reacted quickest to force home the follow-up.
The game almost had one last twist in injury time as Immobile crossed for Adil Rami but, with the goal gaping the ball cannoned off the France defender’s knee and went agonisingly wide of the left post.news_articleTue, 11 Aug 2015 21:28:16 +0000Anonymous435301 at https://www.fourfourtwo.com